Sunday, January 31, 2021 Words matter: Volcano Watch

 The rains, for now, have paused.  Birds are easily heard, hale is quiet.  Sun comes and goes through broken overcast, and all is as it should be.  

The work of Pelehonuamea continues.  Subtle are the changes or differences day-to-day.  Volumes erupted fluctuate, the West Vent seems not as active as it has been, and Iʻll guess that vog on the West side of the Island of Hawaiʻi has diminished.

I remain fascinated by the silvery featheriness emanating at the base of the west vent.  Dusk lighting in the photo below is a bit more feature-revealing...we can see the spreading of fresh pele to the east floor, partially filling the dividing crack.  Too, activity seemed a bit more vigorous last evening.

About the Headline...  the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory folks published their latest Volcano Watch on Saturday.

Volcano Watch: Words matter...

The text follows.  I trust that itʻs legible:

The one that jangles me the most is "smoke".  Noooo....Itʻs not smoke, itʻs fume (or gases) Iʻd often correct people.  And yes, just yesterday I used fiery as a descriptor.  [Why isnʻt it spelled "Firey"?]

I am not, definitely not, fluent in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi; not anywhere close.  But a fan I am.  The language is poetic, sounds pleasant to the ears, and is seemingly infinite in subtleties.  Thatʻs the hard part.  Which word, exactly, does one choose to use?  And is the chosen vocabulary based on Western thinking and values, or on what we think people of old wouldʻve voiced about what they saw/experienced?  Tis a perplexing puzzlement.  

That we canʻt wehewehe.org "lava lake" and have a result, to me, is a clue.

Hawaiian Dictionary

So we think, muse, wonder, talk story, google, papakilo, ulukau, etc., and come up with "Loko ahi".  "Pool or lake, Fire".  And yes, "fire" may not be correct English, but I believe that it fits Hawaiian thinking.  I started with loko pele, Lit., "lava lake", but thought that that lacked poetic insight.  Is the pele hot, cold, molten, solid?

And as Iʻve pointed out, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is a much more fluid, dynamic language than English.  One work often means many different things, depending on context.  Context.  Very Important.

Many definitions point to fire or fiery, but then the dictionaries were compiled to allow Hawaiian to be understood by speakers of English.  Consider sources.  

Above, note bolded after and during.  And note too Rare.  When the dictionaries were compiled, some words had fallen out of use.  And friend jk pointed out, what if, above, ʻawa (cold, bitter, drizzling) referred instead to the bitter "taste" or scent of enveloping vog that often collects on the slope of Maunaloa ma uka of Kaluapele, scene of the described battle below?  From "Kamehameha and his warrior Kekūhaupiʻo", p182.  The mist of intoxication...what if.  Metaphor, kaona (hidden meanings) enough to drive one crazy... 

Bitter rain and biting cold fell on both sides, causing obscurity and aiding Keōua’s warriors in their escape from being slaughtered by the forces led by Ka‘iana. The people of Ka‘ū were familiar with their land and the pits and hidden caves, so that they saved themselves by flight from Kamehameha’s fearless men, led by that accomplished ali‘i of Kaua‘i. The people of old, in speaking of this battle, said that Keōua’s side only escaped by being covered by that bitter rain so that they disappeared from the sight of their opponents. The reason, also, for this kind of rain being called ‘awa was, that in a state of intoxication with ‘awa, a similar mist would descend and obscure a man’s mind, and he would topple over. Thus this rain of the mountain became an ‘awa rain.

Lots and lots to consider...to be curious about and wonder.

Then the islands, rafts, and bergs... moku, moku lana, moku lanaau (or lana au)...

So yes, an island is fixed.  But add "lana", and itʻs floating or buoyant.  And for added specificity, lanaau...drifting with the current, as the current in the loko ahi, the lava lake.

Yikes...My head spins.  And then ds asked... So.  Kīpuka.  Could the island islet be a kīpuka?  Can kīpuka move?

kī.puka 

n.

1. Variation or change of form (puka, hole), as a calm place in a high sea, deep place in a shoal, opening in a forest, openings in cloud formations, and especially a clear place or oasis within a lava bed where there may be vegetation.

Yup.  "Kīpuka" refers to a variation or change in form.   The surface of the sea moves, clouds move.  The word is about appearance, rather than state of fixedness.  Many envision kīpuka as oases of vegetation surrounded by lava.  It especially is, but it can also be a patch of ʻaʻā surrounded by pāhoehoe of similar age.

Might it be a kīpuka of misty cloud arranged on the floor of Mokuʻāweoweo?  What you think?

OK then!  Busʻ out the dictionaries, and have fun page flipping...I need a break!

Comments very much appreciated.  No shame!

As always, with aloha,

BobbyC

maniniowali@gmail.com